Patent Document 1 discloses a conventional compressor. The compressor includes a housing in which compression chambers for compression refrigerant and suction chambers for drawing refrigerant into the compression chambers. A circular valve base plate is located between the compression chambers and the suction chambers. The valve base plate has suction ports extending therethrough. Each suction port selectively connects a compression chamber with a corresponding suction chamber. Suction valves, each of which has a suction reed valve, are fixed to the valve base plate. Each suction port is selectively opened and closed by the corresponding suction reed valve. Each suction reed valve extends in a radial direction and is elastically deformable.
Each suction reed valve includes a fixation portion fixed to the valve base plate, a basal portion that extends from the fixation portion in the longitudinal direction and is separable from the valve base plate, and a valve flap that extends from the basal portion toward the distal end in the longitudinal direction to selectively open and close the suction port. The valve base plate has a fixation surface on the side facing the suction chambers. The fixation portions of the suction reed valves are fixed to the fixation surface.
Unlike a typical compressor, in which the suction ports are circular holes, the suction ports of the compressor according to Patent Document 1 are oblong holes, each of which has a substantially arcuate shape extending parallel with the circumferential edge of the valve base plate. That is, each suction port bulges toward the distal end in the longitudinal direction and extends in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.
Each valve flap has an opening-closing portion, which faces the suction port, a main stopper, which projects from the opening-closing portion toward the distal end, and a pair of side stoppers projecting sideways from both sides of the opening-closing portion in the width direction.
Each cylinder bore in the housing has three recessed retainers. Each of the main stopper and the side stoppers contacts one of the retainers.
When each valve flap opens the corresponding suction port in the above described conventional compressor, the main stopper first contacts the associated retainer, so that further displacement is restricted. Then, the side stoppers contact the associated retainers, and further displacement is restricted. As a result, the valve flap is held at a position for opening the suction port to allow refrigerant to pass through the suction port and be drawn into the compression chamber. At this time, the main stopper and the side stoppers of the compressor prevent the suction reed valve from receiving a significant torsional load, thereby preventing the suction reed valve from vibrating.